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Gov. Scott: Federal Pre-Landfall Emergency Declaration Signed by the President

Posted on October 9, 2018

Issues Updates on Hurricane Michael

Following Governor Rick Scott’s request, today President Donald Trump approved a pre-landfall emergency declaration. This declaration will provide important resources and assistance from the federal government, including personnel, equipment and supplies, as well as making available funding sources for emergency protective measures.

On October 7th, Governor Scott declared a state of emergency in 26 Florida counties, and expanded it to include 35 counties total on October 8th. To see his Emergency Order, click HERE.

Governor Scott will continue to be in constant communication with state and local emergency management officials and state agency leaders to ensure the state is prepared to respond to the potential devastating impacts from Hurricane Michael.

See below for more information on what the State of Florida is doing to support Hurricane Michael preparedness efforts:

STATE PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS

WATCHES AND WARNINGS

Hurricane Warning:A hurricane warning is in effect for the Alabama/Florida Border to the Suwannee River.

Tropical Storm Warning:A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from the Suwanee River to Chassahowitzka.

Tropical Storm Watch:Tropical storm watches are in effect from Suwanee River, Florida, to Anna Maria Island, Florida, including Tampa Bay.
Fernandina Beach Florida to South Santee River South Carolina.

Storm Surge WarningA storm surge warning is in effect from the Okaloosa/Walton County Line to the Anclote River.

Storm Surge WatchAnclote River to Anna Maria Island, including Tampa Bay, and Alabama/Florida border to Okaloosa/Walton County Line Florida.

EVACUATIONS

Though the below evacuation orders are current and in effect, everyone should check with their local emergency management office or website for the most up to date information regarding evacuations as they are constantly being updated.

Bay County- Mandatory evacuation orders are now in place for zones A, B, and C. Residents living in these areas should evacuate immediately if they have not already done so.

Calhoun County – A Voluntary/Phased evacuation has been issued for mobile homes and low lying areas.

Dixie County – A Mandatory Evacuation has been issues for zone A, mobile homes and low lying areas.

Franklin County – A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for ALL NON-RESIDENTS.

Gadsden County – A Voluntary/Phased evacuation has been issued for mobile homes and low lying areas.

Gulf County – A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for the following areas:

All Cape San Blas

All of Indian Pass Area

Simmons Bayou

Highland View

Windmark

In the city of Port St. Joe, all areas from St. Joseph Bay to Long Avenue

St. Joe Beach and Beacon Hill – Waterside of Highway 98

Those with high profile vehicles, living in mobile homes, low lying areas, or anyone who feels unsafe in their current location

All of these areas must be evacuated within 24 hours of this notice. Critical businesses in those areas may remain open until 12 pm ET Tuesday, October 9, 2018.

A Voluntary Evacuation has been issued for Highway 98 Inland on St. Joe Beach and Beacon Hill.

Hernando County – A Voluntary/Phased Evacuation has been issued for coastal zone levels A and B, beginning on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, at 8 am ET.

Jackson County – A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for mobile homes, manufactured homes and RV Parks.

Jefferson County – A Voluntary/Phased evacuation has been issued for mobile homes, coastal areas and low lying areas.

Leon County – A Voluntary/Phased evacuation has been issued for mobile homes and low lying flood prone areas.

Levy County – A Mandatory Evacuation has been ordered for Levy County residents and visitors in the coastal areas of Levy County. Residents and visitors in these areas should evacuate before 8 pm Tuesday, October 9, 2018. This includes:

Cedar Key

Yankeetown

Fowlers Bluff

Fanning Springs

Any other area that is prone to storm surge

Liberty County – A Voluntary/Phased evacuation has been issued for mobile homes, sub standard housing and low lying areas.

Okaloosa County – A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for all properties south of US Highway 98 as well as all low lying and coastal areas.

Pasco County – A Voluntary/Phased evacuation has been issued for anyone living west of US Highway 19.

Santa Rosa County – A Voluntary/Phased evacuation has been issued for mobile home parks, campsites, low lying areas and Navarre Beach.

Taylor County – A Voluntary/Phased evacuation has been issued for low lying areas.

Wakulla County – A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for zone A (coastal low lying areas) and mobile homes. The remainder of Wakulla County will be under a voluntary evacuation order.

Walton County – A Mandatory Evacuation has been issued for zones A and B.

SHELTERS

The state is supporting sheltering operations in the Florida Panhandle.

There are currently 32 shelters reported open and more are being mobilized by the counties.

Governor Scott has called on every local government to immediately confirm their mutual aid agreements between investor-owned utilities, municipals and co-ops are in place and effective so there is no delay in power restoration for Floridians. These agreements allow municipal utilities to receive aid from investor-owned utilities and co-ops as they work to restore power to customers. Without these agreements in place ahead of time, power restoration will be delayed. To view the full list of Florida utilities with agreements in place, click HERE.

MILITARY SUPPORT

The Florida National Guard currently has activated 2,500 soldiers and airmen for pre-landfall coordination and planning, with an emphasis on high water and search and rescue operations.

The Florida National Guard is performing a variety of missions, including staffing the State Logistics Readiness Center in Orlando and running two Logistic Staging Areas in Tallahassee and Eglin.

They are well-equipped, with assets including more than 1,000 high water vehicles, 13 helicopters, and 16 boats. They are preparing for possible missions to include humanitarian assistance, security operations, and search and rescue.

The Florida National Guard will continue to work closely with civilian partner agencies, other National Guard states and active duty counterparts.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is actively monitoring Hurricane Michael and ready to respond. On standby are approximately 135 officers from outside the projected path ready to deploy if needed. This number will go up based on intensity of the storm. They will respond with a variety of specialized equipment, including shallow draft boats, ATVs, airboats and four wheel drive vehicles.

FWC Special Operations Group (SOG) teams are ready to do reconnaissance missions.

During patrols, FWC officers are reaching out to residents in the most rural areas of the potentially affected areas to make sure they are prepared for severe weather conditions.

The Florida Highway Patrol has pre-deployed 100 State Troopers to the Panhandle and Big Bend area of Florida in preparation for Hurricane Michael.

The Florida Highway Patrol has activated 12-hour shifts for Troops A, B, H, I & Q starting tomorrow. The total activation includes approximately 340 state troopers conducting 24-hour enhanced coverage across Florida’s Big Bend and Panhandle. As part of this, regular days off are cancelled.

The Florida Highway Patrol has prepared a Quick Response Force team comprised of 33 State Troopers to deploy with minimal notice to areas affected by Hurricane Michael.

The Florida Highway Patrol is actively monitoring the storm and assisting with emergency management missions.

The Florida Highway Patrol is staffing the Bryant Patton Memorial Bridge in Franklin County (St. George Island bridge).

The Florida Highway Patrol currently has 24/7 representation within the State Emergency Operations Center coordinating preparation, response and recovery efforts. The Florida Highway Patrol is also staffing numerous County Emergency Operations Centers.

Florida Highway Patrol will maintain high visibility on Interstate-10 and associated evacuation routes to assist motorists, clear the roadways of any abandoned or disabled vehicles and will routinely check rest areas to assist residents and visitors.

DHSMV’s Florida Licensing on Wheels (FLOW) mobiles are on standby to respond to impacted areas as soon as the storm passes.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) Mutual Aid team is communicating with law enforcement partners and participating in regular conference calls with the State Emergency Operations Center.

FDLE has communicated with members and partners in the panhandle to make preparations and be ready to begin response operations tomorrow morning.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

The State of Florida has deployed three urban search and rescue task forces and resources to the Florida State Fire College to prepare for response. An additional task force will be deployed from Jacksonville to Eglin Air Force Base.

CFO Jimmy Patronis has activated seven out of eight Search and Rescue task forces in preparation for Hurricane Michael’s landfall. CFO Patronis’ Division of State Fire Marshal is the lead agency for this activation.

TRANSPORTATION & PUBLIC WORKS

Governor Scott directed the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to suspend tolls effective immediately in the Northwest Florida region in preparation for Hurricane Michael. Tolls will be suspended at the following facilities: Mid-Bay Bridge and Spence Parkway (Okaloosa County), Garcon Point Bridge (Santa Rosa County), Bob Sikes Toll Bridge (Escambia County), and Orchard Pond Parkway (Leon County). By suspending tolls, Floridians and visitors will more easily be able to prepare for any potential storm impacts, access important hurricane supplies, and quickly and safely evacuate when necessary.

FDOT is currently preparing roadways for impacts from Hurricane Michael.

FDOT has suspended all construction operations from the roadways in the counties under the state of emergency.

FDOT is coordinating with the Florida Highway Patrol on bridge and roadway closures and detours.

The Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) is continuing to monitor the storm and regularly sharing information with waiver support coordinators and providers to ensure the health and safety of the customers the agency serves.

APD is also checking on individuals with developmental disabilities who live in their own homes to ensure they are prepared for the hurricane.

APD has canceled all guest reservations for the week for William J. Rish Recreational Park in Gulf County. The facility will be closed beginning Tuesday.

APD is making Hawkins Park in Santa Rosa County available to utility trucks as a staging area.

The Florida Department of Health is actively monitoring Hurricane Michael and has activated ESF-8 personnel to staff the State Emergency Operations Center.

DOH has initiated daily county ESF-8 conference calls with County Health Departments to determine local protective actions, status of local health care systems, special needs shelter status, and unmet needs.

To prepare for, respond to, and mitigate any effect of Hurricane Michael, the DOH issued an emergency order allowing health care professionals with a valid, unrestricted and unencumbered license in any state, territory, and/or district to render services in Florida during a period not to exceed thirty days (unless extended).

DOH is working to forecast long-range public health and medical resource needs and identify potential areas for EMAC and federal resource support.

DOH is monitoring and supporting Special Needs Shelter operations through census reporting and resource support as requested by local emergency operations.

CHDs are coordinating with their local County Emergency Management to ensure preparations are in place for Special Needs Shelters. Call downs are being conducted to persons on Special Needs Registries to ensure plans are in place for potential evacuations.

CHDs are reviewing their local continuity of operations plans to ensure public health activities and CHD services are not interrupted by the storm.

CHDs are conducting outreach to health care facilities within the county to ensure they are implementing facility level emergency plans.

The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) is in contact with healthcare facilities to ensure they have the resources they need.

AHCA had a joint call with the Florida Health Care Association and all residential and inpatient healthcare facilities including all areas of the panhandle and east to Jacksonville. AHCA and the Florida Hospital Association had a joint call with all hospitals in the panhandle.

AHCA has activated the Emergency Status System (ESS) for health care facilities in the panhandle to enter their storm preparedness status including generators and utility company information, emergency contacts, and bed availability.

All nursing homes and assisted living facilities are required to keep residents in a safe environment in an emergency to ensure the protection of resident health, safety, welfare, and comfort.

Facilities are required to have a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan approved and on file with the local emergency management agencies.

Nursing facilities all have back-up power that can power medical equipment and refrigeration for medicine and food.

Additionally, facilities are required to have an emergency power plan in place to ensure that resident occupied area temperatures do not exceed 81 degrees. These plans include onsite generators, delivered generators, or shifting populations to locations that can maintain comfortable temperatures.

As part of licensure, facilities are responsible for the health and safety of their patients.

The State is here to serve as a resource to connect facilities to the local emergency management officials to make sure needs are being met.

AHCA staff is reaching out to all hospital CEOs and all residential health care facilities in the panhandle.

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs is in contact with Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) in Planning and Service Areas (PSAs) in the projected storm path.

AAAs continue to coordinate with their Lead Agencies, local service providers, and local county offices of emergency management as part of their emergency relief measures. Call-downs have already begun to assess client needs before, during, and after the storm.

The Department of Elder Affairs has also been communicating with our Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) and CARES field offices who anticipate office closures. CARES staff is trained and stands ready to participate by assisting at Special Needs Shelters in affected areas, including with the discharge planning.

Before, during, and after the storm, the Area Agencies on Aging will continue to operate the statewide, toll-free Elder Helpline — 1-800-96-ELDER.

The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs (FDVA) operates six skilled nursing facilities and one assisted living facility. All state veterans’ homes are currently operational.

The 120-bed Clifford C. Sims State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Panama City is finalizing its preparedness efforts and is prepared to shelter in place. The skilled nursing facility’s generator is operational and the fuel tank is at capacity. Residents and staff are safe.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports VA Outpatient Clinics in Panama City Beach and Eglin AFB are closed today and tomorrow. VA Outpatient Clinics in Marianna, Tallahassee and Perry will close Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time and remain closed Wednesday. Patient appointments are being rescheduled.

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is working with courts in Florida Panhandle counties to sign blanket travel approvals for all foster parents to evacuate with children in foster care.

DCF has ordered an early release of food assistance benefits for those Florida residents in the 11 counties under a hurricane watch who would have received normal SNAP benefits between now and 10/28. Benefits will be released to their cards 10/9 at 6:00 a.m. in the impacted counties.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has reached out to high-priority regulated facilities to remind them of storm preparations they should be making, and has issued two emergency final orders to ensure recovery efforts are not hampered or delayed.

DEP has activated and is closely monitoring StormTracker, a reporting tool for water and waste water facilities to provide updates on their operational status.

An online tool for the public to report the location of storm debris in waterways has been deployed.

The current condition of the state’s beaches has been assessed, which will expedite post-storm assessments.

235 Disaster Debris Management Sites have been pre-authorized for the counties addressed by the Governor’s Executive Order.

DEP’s Florida Park Service has opened areas to dry camp for self-contained rigs – usually parking lots without utility connections – at some state parks for evacuees on a first come, first served basis with waived overnight fees. A list of open parks and contact information to check for availability can be found at floridastateparks.org/get-involved/storm-assistance.

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

To help residents and emergency personnel stay connected following the storm, Comcast is opening its network of more than 8,000 Xfinity WiFi hotspots throughout the Florida Panhandle, including Tallahassee, Panama City, Panama City Beach and surrounding areas and the Dothan, Alabama area, to anyone to use for free, including non-Xfinity customers.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) continues to encourage businesses to visit FloridaDisaster.biz for disaster preparedness tips and register to receive updates as the storm progresses.

The state has opened the Private Sector Hotline at (850) 815-4925. The hotline is available for business inquiries about the storm, preparedness information and post-impact information.

DEO continues to coordinate with CareerSource Florida, local workforce boards, and other public-private partners.

The Florida Retail Federation and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association continue to share disaster preparedness information with their business affiliates.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) offers a Hurricane Guide with information about hurricane preparedness, what to do as a storm approaches, disaster recovery, and helpful hurricane-related resources. DBPR has shared the Guide on social media and it is available at myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/documents/HurricaneGuide_web.pdf.

A team from FEMA including experts from Homeland Security, the EPA, the Department of Defense, Health and Human Services, and the Army Corps of Engineers is now in Florida and providing federal assistance

EDUCATION

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) is in contact with school districts, state colleges and universities for updates and to determine needs before, during and after emergency events. All school districts, colleges and universities are monitoring Hurricane Michael and collaborating with local emergency preparedness officials to make decisions that ensure student and staff safety.

The following school districts have announced closures:

Baker will be closed Wednesday (10/10) and Thursday (10/11).

Bay will be closed Tuesday (10/9) and Wednesday (10/10).

Calhoun will be closed Tuesday (10/9) – Thursday (10/11).

Citrus will be closed Tuesday (10/9) and Wednesday (10/10).

Dixie will be closed Tuesday (10/9) – Thursday (10/11).

Escambia will have early release Tuesday (10/9) and remain closed Wednesday (10/10).

FDOE will be posting up-to-date information regarding closures and meeting cancellations at fldoe.org/hurricaneinfo.

INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) is prepared to order property insurers to submit claims information from Hurricane Michael, if necessary.

Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier and CFO Jimmy Patronis will be conducting a conference call with representatives of various insurance companies that have policies in force within the regions forecasted to be impacted by Hurricane Michael to ensure those companies:

Have resources positioned and available to respond to consumers’ needs

Assess damage and pay claims quickly

Report any challenges or issues as quickly as possible

Report claims to the OIR on time and in accordance with the reporting schedule that will be issued later today

OIR has fully activated its Incident Management Unit and has representatives at the State Emergency Operations Center. OIR will be actively working throughout this storm with consumer advocates, industry stakeholders and entities licensed under OIR’s regulatory authority.

In accordance with the Governor’s Executive Order, OIR has notified all health insurers, managed care organizations and other health entities of their statutory obligation to allow for early prescription refills during a state of emergency.

The Florida Department of Management Services, Division of State Group Insurance, has arranged for early prescription renewals starting today for members of the state group insurance program.

The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Consumer Services has resources for consumers seeking assistance with the claims-filing process or to file insurance complaints HERE.

CFO Jimmy Patronis activated his Disaster Fraud Action Strike Team (DFAST) to get ahead of and stop post-storm fraud.

CFO Jimmy Patronis’ Division of Consumer Services has resources for consumers who need help with financial hurricane prep HERE and those seeking assistance with the claims-filing process or to file insurance complaints HERE.

STATE OFFICE CLOSURES

State offices will be closed tomorrow through Thursday in the 35 counties included in Governor Scott’s emergency order.

DMS will stay in contact with all state offices and has asked them to report closures in WebEOC.

VOLUNTEER EFFORTS

As the state’s lead agency for coordinating volunteers and donations before, during and after disasters, Volunteer Florida has established resources for individuals and groups who would like to support Floridians affected by Hurricane Michael.

Those interested in volunteering can visit VolunteerFlorida.org and register on the volunteer database.

As disaster response organizations, like the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army, evaluate their needs and asses their resources, qualified volunteers will be contacted.

The Salvation Army is working with state and local emergency management throughout the Florida Panhandle.

The Salvation Army has established a command center in Tampa and is prepared to mobilize incident management teams to the Florida Panhandle to serve impacted areas after the storm makes landfall.

Personnel and mobile feeding units are on standby ready to move in after the storm. The Salvation Army’s mobile feeding units can serve 500-1,500 meals per day.

STATE EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER/ CONTACTS

The State Emergency Operations Center remains activated at a level one, which is a full-scale, 24-hours-a-day activation.

The State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) contact number is 1-800-342-3557.

The State Emergency Operations Center Media Line: 850-921-0217.

Follow @FLSert or @FLGovScott on Twitter for live updates on Hurricane Michael.